1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly to a system and method for providing information regarding a position where a mobile communication terminal is located.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with the increasing complexity of society, the number of missing children and the degree of social concern thereabout has increased. As a result, many institutional policies have been implemented to prevent children from going missing, but the results have been considered to be inadequate. Of course, many devices for prevention of missing children have been developed and there is widespread concern focused on the prevention of missing children. In this connection, it is the current reality that some parents advise their children to carry mobile communication terminals while in transit, in order to prevent their children from going missing. Such mobile communication terminals may provide only a simple telephone function as in general mobile communication terminals.
In order for parents to determine the positions of their children using mobile communication terminals, a technique has been employed which estimates a certain range where each mobile communication terminal is located, on the basis of information regarding a network, or a base station to which each terminal is communicating with (also referred to as “connected”). As a result, a conventional position information provision system using a mobile communication terminal has a disadvantage in that it cannot provide information regarding a precise position of a child carrying the mobile communication terminal because it can estimate only a rough position of the child.
In addition, a conventional system for providing position information of a mobile communication terminal has a disadvantage in that, if the mobile communication terminal is powered off, then a function of tracking the position of the terminal fails, so the terminal position cannot be tracked. If a mobile communication terminal carried by a child is powered off in a given situation, the child's parents will be unable not only to conduct a telephone conversation with him/her, but also to track his/her position, resulting in an increase in the probability for the child to be lost.